Refrigerating apparatus



July 13, 1937. R. E. BAKER 2,086,596

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Original Filed July 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l Pm PI/ 15. 5/9/5153 ATTORNEY J July 13, 1937. R. E. BAKER REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Original Filed July 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 13, 1937 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATIN G APPARATUS Ralph E. Baker, Detroit, Mich" assignor to Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application July 2, 1934, Serial No. 733,361

Renewed November 27, 1936 7 Claims.

My invention pertains to household refrigerators and more particularly to a demountable compressor-evaporator unit and a cabinet therefor.

In refrigerating apparatus and particularly as adapted for household use, it is desirable to locate the entire refrigerating system within the cabinet. It is also desirableto provide a freezing compartment within the cabinet separate from the food compartment and in which an evaporator may be disposed for freezing water and various food substances.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide a simplified two-temperature refrigerator structure, and a demountable compressor-evaporator unit therein.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a simplified refrigerator comprising a freezing chamber, a foodstorage compartment, a machine compartment, an evaporator-compressor unit and means for conveniently mounting and sealing the unit in the cabinet to support the compressor in the machine compartment and the evaporator in the freezing chamber.

Another object of myinvention is to provide a refrigerator comprising 9. depending baifle wall and means supported across the lower edge there'- of for supporting a condenser-compressor unit and an evaporator on opposite sides thereof.

The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments, when, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view showing a refrigerator arranged in accordance with one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line IIII thereof;

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the demountable compressor-evaporator unit;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line .IV-IV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing a refrigerator arranged in accordance with another embodiment of my invention; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view on line VIVI of Fig. 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawings the refrigerator shown in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of a cabinet I comprising a rear wall 2, a top wall 3, a bottom'wall 4, and side walls 8 of the usual heat insulating structure. The walls are preferably provided with a sheet metal covering 1 on the inner and outer surfaces and a layer of vitreous enamel such as porcelain may be applied to the metallic surfaces to provide a pleasing and sanitary finish. The cabinet is closed by a heat insulating door 8 which is pivotally supported at one side of the cabinet by suitable 5 hinges in the usual manner, and which is shown in open position in Fig. 1.

A heat insulating partition wall or baflle Ii is provided within the cabinet and extends down: wardly from the middle of the top wall 3. The 10 partition wall it extends transversely across the intermediate portion of the top wall 3 of the cabinet and divides the upper space therein. The upper edge of the rear wall 2 of the cabinet terminates at a point opposite or level with the lower 15 edge of the partition wall I In order to support the elements of the system and enclose a freezing chamber and a machin; compartment on opposite sides of the partition wall II a base plate I3 is provided abutting the lower edge thereof. 20

The lov. or edge of the partition wall II is provided with fastening means comprising threaded bolts it which project downwardly through aperturesin the base plate which is clamped firmly in position by wing nuts IS on the end of the bolts.

A horizontally disposed ledge l1 projects into the cabinet from the rear wall 2 and carries fastening means ill by which the rear edge of the base plate is supported and tightly sealed in position.

The portion of the base plate l3 extending 30 between the partition wall It and the rear wall 2 of the cabinet is provided with a heat insulating member 22 upon which a compressor unit 22 may be mounted on resilient supports 24 in the usual manner.

- A refrigerant evaporator 25 is mounted in heat conductive relation upon the portion of the base plate l3 which extends between the partition wall II and the door of the cabinet. Suitable conduits 26 and 21 permanently intercon- 40 nect thecompressor-condenser unit 23 with the evaporator 25 and extend along the upper face of the base plate I3, as shown in Fig. 3. When mounted in the cabinet the conduits 28 and 29 extend through slots 28 and 29 provided in the lower edge of the partition wall ll adjacent the base plate l3, as shown in Fig. 4. The compressor 23 may be controlled by a thermostatic switch (not shown) for intermittent operation in accordance withthe temperatures within the cabi- .net in the usual manner.

A front plate 32 is secured to the front edge of the base plate l3 in vertically disposed posi- X tion and is rigidly braced by suitable brackets 32 extending diagonally between the upper edge of the front plate and the base plate. Openings are provided in the front plate 32 to provide convenient access to the freezing chamber for the insertion and removal of freezing trays 34. The openings into the freezing chamber are closed by doors 36, the inner edges of which are pivotallyv mounted on hinges 31. The peripheral edges of the front plate 32 are curved inwardly and the surface thereof may be provided with a coating of a vitreous enamel such as porcelain to present a pleasing appearance.

Sealing gaskets 4| of some flexible material such as rubber may be provided on the edges of the base plate l3 to engage the metallic lining of the cabinet and provide a tight seal therebetween, as shown in Fig. 4. Shelves 42 are provided within the lower portions of the cabinet to support food articles stored therein in the usual manner. The top wall may preferably be terminated adjacent the partition wall and does not extend rearwardly thereof; the machine compartment being enclosed only by the outer metallic covering through which a suitable vent 45 is provided.

The refrigerant compressor-evaporator unit may be very conveniently removed from the cabi-. net I through the open doorway thereof by unscrewing the wing nuts [5 and I9, then lowering .the base plate I3 sufficiently to withdraw the compressor 23 under the lower edge of the partition wall H. In a similar manner a new unit may be very easily installed within the cabinet.

In accordance with my installation the compressor-condenser unit when installed maybe elevated to a position which is very close to the upper metallic covering 1 of the cabinet, limited only by the vibrating distance, thereby providing a very compact assembly. It will be apparent that the base plate l3 serves the purpose of supporting the compressor and the evaporator as a unitary demountable structure, and also when the base plate is mounted. within the cabinet abutting the lower edge of the partition wall II it serves to enclose the freezing chamber and machine compartment on opposite sides thereof. The base plate l3 serves also to provide thermal coupling between the evaporator and the food storage compartment.

In another embodiment of my invention I provide a sealing groove 5| in the ledge II on the rear wall of the cabinet, as shown in Fig. 5. In this arrangement the threaded fastening bolt l9 adjacent the rear wall is entirely eliminated, and

a flange '53 is extended from the block of heat insulating material 22 on the base plate l3 into cooperative relation with the groove 5|. The lower surfaces of the flange 53 and the groove 5| are provided with smooth curved surfaces and the upper surfaces are provided with stepped portions which cooperate to provide a tight sealed joint and support the weightof the machine.

When it is desired to remove the compressorevaporator unit from the cabinet it is only necessary to remove the fastening means i 5 under the partition wall II, and the base plate [3 may then be tilted downwardly as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. The unit may then be lowered sufliciently to permit the'compres'sor to pass under the lower edge of the partition wall and through the open doorway of the cabinet.

The installation of my unit is very conveniently accomplished with this arrangement by inserting the unit within the cabinet and lifting it to the inclined position represented by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. The flange 53 projecting from the unit may be readily inserted within the groove 5 in the ledge i l on the rear wall of the cabinet..

This provides a rigid support and guide for the rear edge of the unit and it is then only necessary to lift the front edge to a level horizontal position and the supporting bolts I are readily passed through the apertures in the base plate l3. By applying the wing nuts l5 to the lower ends of the bolts the unit may then be conveniently secured in position with the compressor-condenser unit and the plate evaporator supported in their respective compartmentson opposite sides of the partition wall II.

In operation the heat from the food compartment is absorbed by the base plate l3 which is associated in heat conductive relation with the evaporator 25. If desired the thermal coupling of the base plate with the food compartment may be increased by providing suitable heat conductive fins projecting downwardly from the lower surface thereof.

It will be seen that I have provided a two temperature refrigerator comprising a simplified cabinet structure in combination with a compact compressor-evaporator assembly which is conveniently mountable therein as a unit to provide separate machine and freezing compartments with a minimum encroachment upon the useful storage space.

While it is necessary for the purposes of illustration to describe the several disclosed forms of my invention in detail, it will be apparent that the invention is not so limited, and that other forms and applications thereof are embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination a refrigerator cabinet en- .closed by heat insulating walls, a heat insulating evaporator mounted adjacent an opposite edge of said base plate, means operatively interconnected said compressor and said evaporator, and means for supporting said base plate abutting the lower edge of said partition wall whereby compartments are defined on opposite sides of said partition wall to separately enclose said compressor unit and said evaporator respectively whereby they may be removed therefrom by a downward movement.

2. In combination a refrigerator cabinet enclosed by heat insulating walls, a partition wall depending from an intermediate portion of" the top wall of said cabinet, a base plate, a refrigerant compressor unit mounted adjacent one edge of said base plate, a refrigerant evaporator mounted adjacent an opposite edge of said base plate, means operatively interconnecting said compressor and said evaporator, means for securing said base plate in abutting. engagement against the lower edge of said partition wall, a ledge projecting into the cabinet and means for securing the adjacent edge of the base plate thereto whereby machine and freezing compartments are enclosed on opposite sides of said par tition wall and the compressor and the evaporator partition wall depending from and extending 76 lower edge of said partition wall, a ledge projectlng into the cabinet from the rear wall and fastening means thereon for securing the adjacent edge of the base plate thereto whereby machine and freezing compartments are enclosed on opposite sides of said partition wall and the compressor and the evaporator are supported in their respective compartments.

4. In combination a refrigerator cabinet enclosed by heat insulating walls, a heat insulating partition wall depending from and extending transversely across an intermediate portion of the top wall of said cabinet, a base plate, a refrigerant compressor unit mounted adjacent one edge of said base plate, a refrigerant evaporator mounted adjacent an opposite edge of said base plate, means for operatively interconnecting said compressor and said evaporator, means for securing said base plate in abutting engagement against the lower edge of the partition wall, and self sealing means whereby the rear wall of the cabinet and the adjacent edge of the base plate are forced into tight sealed relation by the weight of the compressor unit.

5. In combination a refrigerator cabinet enclosed by heat insulating walls, a heat insulating wall depending from and extending transversely across an intermediate portion of the top wall of said cabinet, a heat conductive base plate, heat insulating material on said base plate adjacent one edge thereof, a refrigerant compressor unit mounted on the heat insulating material adjacent one edge of said base plate, a refrigerant evaporator mounted adjacent an opposite edge of said base plate, means for operatively interconnecting said compressor and said evaporator, fastening means on said partition wall for securing said base plate in abutting engagement against the lower edge thereof, and self sealing means cooperatively disposed on the rear wall of the cabinet and the adjacent edge of the base plate whereby they are forced into tight sealing relation by the weight of the compressor unit.

6. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet having a machine compartment and a second compartment separated by an insulated upright wall, removable supporting means extending on opposite sides of said wall, a refrigerant condensing element supported by said means on one side of said wall in the machine compartment, a refrigerant evaporator supported by said means on the opposite side of said wall in said second compartment, and refrigerant conduits interconnecting said element and said evaporator, said cabinet being provided with an opening leading to said second compartment,v

and said removable supporting means, refrigerant condensing element and refrigerant evaporator being removable bodily from said cabinet by a downward movement and through said opening without disconnecting said conduits.

'7. In combination a refrigerator cabinet having heat insulating side, back, top and bottom walls, a partition wall depending from the top wall of said cabinet, a base plate, quick releasable means for supporting said base plate abutting the lowermost edge of said partition wall whereby separated compartments are enclosed from the upper space within the cabinet on opposite sides of said partition wall, and operatively interconnected refrigerant evaporator and compressor means supported on said base plate on opposite sides of said partition wall.

RALPH E. BAKER. 

